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4%.

1. Recipes are guides — feel free to add favorite spices,
herbs and ingredients according to your tastes
2. Count on about 1 cup of stuffing (uncooked) per per-
son (more if you like lots)
3. Stuff the turkey just before it's roasted
4. Keep stuffing chilled until ready to use
5. Stuffing ingredients should not come into contact with
uncooked poultry during preparation
6. Stuffing should be loosely stuffed in the bird's cavity
extra stuffing can be baked separately
7. Do not overstuff a turkey — put in one cup of stuffing
per one pound of turkey
8. Stuffing (and the turkey) should reach an internal tem-
perature of 165F.
9. Use an instant-read thermometer to determine correct
temperatures — don t guess
10. Remove the stuffing from the turkey as soon as it's
done (or carve the turkey still hot with the stuffing inside)

'

Gardner
ff Owner

Mikki Gardner and John Galacz with their
Dried Cherry, Apple and Sourdough Stuffing

NNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News

T

urkey with stuffing is a given for
Thanksgiving dinner.
Indeed, even those with strong ethnic
food traditions, those who celebrate holidays
with recipes of family history, will ultimately serve
turkey with stuffing for Thanksgiving (vegetarians
excluded, obviously).
Here's where personal preferences enter the kitchen
— and the turkey for that matter. What finally gets
chopped, mixed and spooned into a turkey hollow can
be a momentous decision. Details as picayune as how
much and which spice is used can make the difference
between a clean plate and a mound of left-behinds.
And everyone has an opinion. Which makes going
somewhere other than "home" for the holidays some-
times disappointing, food-wise. Most folks want what's
traditional for them.

Woody Allen once said, "Tradition is the illusion of
permanence." And if, as the saying goes, perception is
reality, then our reality is what we want and expect.
Pretty lofty thoughts when discussing bread cubes,
herbs and egg.
But the truth is that the right stuffing can make a
difference in the enjoyment of Thanksgiving dinner.
Some families prefer moist stuffing, concoctions
made with broth, wine or water and combined with
raw eggs. Others like their stuffing dry (with no added
liquid), relying on the juices of the bird to moisten the
stuffing during cooking. Others like to top their stuff-
ing with drippings or gravy at the table. Great — to
each his or her own.
What's more, with food-poisoning horror stories at
every turn, cooks are increasingly baking the stuffing
outside the bird. That's the choice of Mikki Gardner,
co-owner with John Galacz of Mikki's Catering in
Troy.
"You can control the flavors better — juices can fla-

vor the stuffing," she said. "You can add just the right
amount of salt, pepper, whatever you like, and the
stuffing will be to your taste. I do find it easier, the
bird cooks in its own time and the stuffing as well. It's
really a matter of preference." (Look for Mikki's recipe
for Dried Cherry, Apple and Sourdough Stuffing,
below.)
Note that stuffing cooked in the bird counts on
poultry juices far moistening during cooking. Stuffing
cooked outside the bird may need a little moisture
help, such as added liquids (broth, juice or wine are
good), to replace poultry juices. If your stuffing does
turn out too dry for your taste, drizzle some drippings
or hot broth over it, cover it with a tight-fitting lid or
aluminum foil and reheat the stuffing in the oven.
The following recipes are traditional with a twist.
Perhaps for variety this year, you'll make your old
favorite stuffing and also one of these below.

FOOD

on page 97

11/8
2002

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